STS-125 Shuttle Mission to Service Hubble Space Telescope Launches on Monday 7pm

iKettles said:
The first human space flight was in 1961. How is this really science fiction to our parents when it occurred fairly early in their lifetime?
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Some people here, I'm sure, had parents that were born in the '40s and '50s. You weren't privy to Sci-Fi while you were a teenager? A perfect example: WOPR. ;)
 
Raist said:
Going through that interactive NASA website it appears they have a LOT of work to do on this mission, some of it will be pretty tricky. I wonder how many simulation hours they have gone through for this. Probably about as many as I spend on these forums. :D
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The crew have been training for the best part of two years, and work behind the scenes (planning, building tools etc.) has been ongoing for at least five years. So yes, the comparison is probably fair (and if not you, then I probably qualify) :D

Edit - make that seven years. :eek:

Raist said:
Some people here, I'm sure, had parents that were born in the '40s and '50s. You weren't privy to Sci-Fi while you were a teenager? A perfect example: WOPR. ;)
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How about a nice game of chess?

And if you still don't get the reference, here's one more clue: Wargames
 
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Will try and remember this and watch it. Always missed the shuttle launches in the past.

One thing that I'm wondering though, they're upgrading so much of Hubble, wouldn't it be both safer and perhaps less expensive (sounds like they are replacing all the expensive sounding bits :p) to just build a new Hubble on the ground and launcher it?
 
PinkFloyd said:
One thing that I'm wondering though, they're upgrading so much of Hubble, wouldn't it be both safer and perhaps less expensive (sounds like they are replacing all the expensive sounding bits :p) to just build a new Hubble on the ground and launcher it?
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The JWST will be just that. In the meantime budget-brains in the Administration have determined it worth the cost and effort to keep Hubble operational for the next 5 years.

More information:

http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/about.html
 
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NASA TV, as always, will be streaming from launch to landing (showing hourly replays of the days' highlights while the crew is asleep). Much of the time you'll see footage from inside the control centres with voice-over because the shuttle is either out of range of a comm satellite, pointing in the wrong direction, or the bandwidth is being used for more important than eye candy. :)

NASA prioritise the video feeds from the satellites during spacewalks so folks on the ground can keep up and help out with any problems, so that's definitely the best time to watch.
 
NASA TV coverage is online. Just over five hours to launch.

Random fact - the shuttle main engines are powerful enough to maintain six 747s in flight. :eek:
 
Remaining Launch Day (significant events)

UK Time!

14:46......Crew suit up begins
15:11......Resume countdown (T-minus 3 hours)

15:16......Crew departs O&C building
15:46......Crew ingress
16:41 ......Astronaut comm checks
17:01 ......Hatch closure
17:36 ......White room closeout

17:51 ......Begin 10-minute built-in hold (T-minus 20m)
17:53 ......NASA test director countdown briefing
18:01 ......Resume countdown (T-minus 20m)

18:02 ......Backup flight computer to OPS 1
18:06 ......KSC area clear to launch

18:12 ......Begin final built-in hold (T-minus 9m)
18:32 ......NASA test director launch status verification

18:41:56 ...Launch window opens
18:52:56 ...Resume countdown (T-minus 9m)

18:54:26 ...Orbiter access arm retraction
18:56:56 ...Hydraulic power system (APU) start
18:57:01 ...Terminate LO2 replenish
18:57:56 ...Purge sequence 4 hydraulic test
18:57:56 ...IMUs to inertial
18:58:01 ...Aerosurface profile
18:58:26 ...Main engine steering test
18:59:01 ...LO2 tank pressurization
18:59:21 ...Fuel cells to internal reactants
18:59:26 ...Clear caution-and-warning memory
18:59:56 ...Crew closes visors
18:59:59 ...LH2 tank pressurization
19:01:06 ...SRB joint heater deactivation
19:01:25 ...Shuttle GPCs take control of countdown
19:01:35 ...SRB steering test
19:01:49 ...Main engine start (T-6.6 seconds)
19:01:56 ...SRB ignition (LAUNCH)
 
Anyone having trouble with the Yahoo feeds at the moment?

EDIT: Nevermind, it was IE8 causing the problem (Windows 7 version)
 
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Wow, they have to sit strapped in waiting for 2 hours? I know they will likely be doing things but imagine what that must feel like.

Christ, imagine the adrenaline as you lift off. I hope in my lifetime space travel becomes a more regular thing, allowing even the likes of me to go up there and ride an alien. I would also like to be the first person to have sex with an extra terrestrial.
 
If you want to experience it, go to Florida. There's a launch simulator at KSC that astronauts have had involvement with - if they say it's good, then it's good. :)

PS - even worse, they're on their backs with their feet in the air. Adrenaline and blood rush. :)
 
that 1200bit steam I can never watch as it always buffers over and over and the picture pauses all the time, the 500 steam is fine tho. weird cause u would have thought 20mbit would be more then enough!
 
Went round there while on holiday way back in 1997. The sheer scale of the place beggars belief :eek: (saw the Apollo & shuttle landing pads but we weren't allowed to go near them) [trivia mode]The Shuttle assembly building can store a volume 3 1/2 times the size of the Empire State building [/trivia mode] :D ;)
 
Berserker said:
If you want to experience it, go to Florida. There's a launch simulator at KSC that astronauts have had involvement with - if they say it's good, then it's good. :)

PS - even worse, they're on their backs with their feet in the air. Adrenaline and blood rush. :)
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Yep the launch sim is very good, i was very impressed :)

Looking forward to watching this :)
 
Grimley said:
(saw the Apollo & shuttle landing pads but we weren't allowed to go near them)
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You mean launch pads, obviously. :p

Been within half a mile of the pad they're launching from today and about the same distance from the VAB. Can't find my photos of them (probably on my old laptop which is at work), but suffice to say they're both bloomin huge even from that distance.

Edit - ooh - 12,345 posts. :cool: :D
 
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